The present invention is directed to a medical treatment apparatus and method for automatically administering a medical treatment to a patient via a medical treatment device, such as an infusion pump, disposed at a first location and a monitoring and/or controlling device disposed at a remote location.
An infusion pump is used to automatically administer liquid medicant to a patient. The liquid medicant is supplied from a source of medicant and pumped into the patient via a catheter or other injection device. The manner in which the liquid is infused is controlled by the infusion pump, which may have various modes of infusion, such as a continuous mode in which the liquid medicant is continuously infused at a constant rate, or a ramp mode in which the rate of infusion gradually increases, then remains constant, and then gradually decreases.
Prior art systems have been described which monitor the medical condition of a patient at a patient location using a sensing apparatus which has various types of sensors, such as a sensor for generating heart rate data and a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature in the ear canal of the patient. Such a prior art system included a remote monitoring device provided at a location remote from the sensing apparatus to which sensing data was transmitted, and the remote monitoring device transmitted control signals to the sensing apparatus at the patient location to control the operation of the sensing apparatus, such as by controlling the sampling rate of the sensors. Such a prior art system also included display means at the remote location for generating visual displays relating to the sensed medical conditions.
One example of such a prior art system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,257 to Fletcher, et al. That patent discloses a sensing apparatus in the form of a bio-belt unit 11, 12 and a remote monitoring device in the form of a data acquisition unit 14. The bio-belt unit 11, 12 incorporates different types of sensors, including an ear canal sensor 21 and a plurality of ECG electrodes 22. The data acquisition unit 14 receives patient medical data from the bio-belt unit 11, 12 and also transmits control commands to control the operation of the bio-belt unit 11, 12. See e.g. FIG. 2; column 5, lines 1-7; column 6, lines 6-10; and column 6, lines 39-47 of the Fletcher, et al. patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,800 to Oba also discloses the concept of providing a patient monitoring apparatus at a patient location and a remote monitoring device having the capability of receiving patient medical data from the patient monitoring apparatus and controlling the operation of the patient monitoring apparatus from a remote location. The patient monitoring apparatus is provided as a number of bedside monitors 3A-3C, and the remote monitoring apparatus is provided in the form of a central monitor 2. The Oba patent discloses that the bedside monitors 3A-3C and the central monitor 2 are interconnected via a local area network (LAN). The operation of the bedside monitors 3A-3C can be controlled from the central monitor 2. See, for example, column 4, lines 4-11; column 4, lines 24-27; and column 4, lines 40-42 of the Oba patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,625 to Fu, et al. also discloses the concept of providing a patient monitoring apparatus at a patient location and a remote monitoring device having the capability of receiving patient medical data from the patient monitoring apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2 of the Fu, et al. patent, the patient monitoring apparatus is provided in the form of a number of home units 60, each of which includes a number of sensors, including a blood pressure module 92, a scale module 84, a temperature module 86, and an ECG electrode unit 90. Each of the home units 60 is connected to a central unit 20 via a modem 62 connected to each home unit 60 and a modem 22 connected to the central unit 20. The Fu, et al. patent also generates medication reminders to a patient. See, for example, FIG. 13.